It is well known that the risk of cancer from radiation exposure is proportional to the total amount of radiation received over a lifetime. In the early days of radiology, for example, those who worked extensively in developing the science of using X-rays have been referred to as "martyrs of radiology" in that due to their work, many of them developed carcinomas, especially in their hands and upper extremities, which led to their eventual deaths.
Since that time, much more is known about the results of radiation exposure over time and the associated risks of radiation-induced cancer. Various technologies have been developed to limit the time and amount of exposure to ionizing radiation, both for the patient and for those administering x-ray or fluoroscopic procedures. For example, those parts of the patient which are not to be exposed to radiation are routinely covered by a blanket or shield which is made of a material which radiation does not penetrate. Although in the past the material used for such blankets or shields has been lead, various lead-equivalent materials have been developed which also inhibit radiation from passing through them, such as lead-vinyl sheets.
Medical personnel performing x-ray or fluoroscopic procedures often have radiology aprons made of lead or lead-equivalent material to be worn in the same manner as a conventional apron, thereby shielding the torso and mid-section of the practitioner's body. These radiology aprons, however, suffer from various drawbacks and disadvantages. For example, the radiology aprons generally afford little or no protection to the upper extremities of the practitioner's body, especially the arms, including hands, wrists, forearms. Such a drawback is especially significant because the hands, wrists, and forearms of the practitioner are most likely to be inadvertently exposed to radiation since they are in closest proximity to the radiation emissions during radiography, fluoroscopic, or the myriad other procedures involving radiation used in medical practice today.
One attempt to reduce exposure of the upper extremities to harmful radiation has been the provision of gloves impregnated with a lead-equivalent material. This solution, however, suffers from further drawbacks and disadvantages. For example, the impregnated material used in such gloves renders them generally thicker than normal surgical gloves and therefore, limits dexterity and tactile feedback, both of which are of extreme importance when operating medical apparatus or performing medical or surgical procedures involving radiation. In addition, the protection against radiation from such gloves is generally undesirably limited. For example, the degree of shielding may be so minimal that the bones of a hand wearing the impregnated glove are readily visible if the gloved hand were to be radiographed. Attempts to make gloves out of thicker shielding material not only further reduce the dexterity and tactile feedback, but cause the gloves to become loose and less form-fitting, making them even more unsuitable for use in medical or surgical procedures.
The increasing use of radiation in performing medical treatments is magnifying the drawbacks of the current art of radiation protection. Interventional procedures developed over the last 15 years more regularly expose a wider range of medical practitioners to much greater doses of radiation over their lifetimes. Such procedures include angiograms and angioplasty, placement of stents, nephrostomy, biliary drainage, abdominal procedures, the TIPS procedure, interventional radiology, and radiation oncology.
The harm to the hands of medical workers performing the increasing number of radiographic and fluoroscopic procedures will not be appreciated until it is too late, since the latency for developing carcinoma to the skin of the hands is often greater than 20 years. As such, the effects of increased exposure to radiation procedures developed in the last 15 to 20 years are not known.
Accordingly, there is a need for an article which adequately protects the hands of medical practitioners from exposure to ionizing radiation during performance of those medical procedures B which employ radiation. There is a further need for the hands to be shielded from radiation without losing dexterity or tactile sensitivity.